Laemmle Theaters

Two of the best films of the young year opened last Friday at several Laemmle theaters, but because nobody much cared, tonight might be the last opportunity to see them on the big screen. That would be a shame especially where "Summer Palace" is concerned. An intense romantic epic, as politically provocative as it is explicitly sexual, it covers more than a dozen years of recent Chinese history. Just as powerful is "A Walk to Beautiful." Even its difficult subject matter -- women in Ethiopia who suffer from childbirth injuries -- can't keep this film from having a power over your heart that is unparalleled.

In the lobby of the historic Royal Theatre in West Los Angeles, Bob Laemmle proudly points to a wall of glass-encased photos and letters from cinema luminaries of the last half-century. "This is one of Ingmar Bergman," he says proudly, gesturing to a photo of the Swedish director, his arm around the shoulder of Bob's father, Max, taken during the 1972 premiere of "Cries and Whispers. " Next to it is a letter from the director and actor Andre Gregory, thanking Max for a party he hosted in support of the 1981 movie "My Dinner With Andre.

Laemmle Theaters is currently screening all five Oscar-nominated feature-length documentaries. Four of them are being presented on Saturday and Sunday mornings at the Monica 4-Plex in Santa Monica, while "Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt" continues its long-running Sunday 11 a.m. engagement at the Music Hall in Beverly Hills.

A mixed-use project featuring a five-screen Laemmle theater in Glendale appears to be moving forward with the City Council's recent approval of a development agreement. The four-story project will include 42 apartments above 6,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground level. In a 4-1 vote in December, the City Council approved a multi-agency agreement between the city, L.A. County and the Glendale Community College District to move the Laemmle Lofts project closer to approval.

Re the article about moviegoing ["Stunning Locations," May 22]: For people who like to discover really good movies, the Nuart is the best theater in L.A.! Most theaters today give you the choice of a dozen movies, but are any of them really any good? At the Nuart, there's only one movie playing, but you know it's going to be special. Gary Davis West L.A. The recently opened Laemmle Theaters in Claremont are wonderful. They are in the new portion of Claremont's "Village," a fine place for walking around before or after the show.

Bigger isn't necessarily better, and more really can sometimes seem like less--at least to the Laemmle family of Los Angeles, which has carved a distinguished niche for its theaters in a land of blockbuster-dependent behemoths. At a time when most companies are building bigger theaters with more screens but seem to have less and less room for small films, it's good to know that there are still people willing to buck the trend.

Robert Zemeckis' feature directorial debut, a sing-a-long and a celebration of John Lennon are among the highlights of Beatles Fest this weekend at the Laemmle Noho 7 theater in North Hollywood. The mini-film festival is part of a city-wide celebration of John, Paul, George and Ringo that includes the U.S. premiere of "Backbeat," the British musical about the birth of the legendary rock group. The musical, which opened Wednesday at the Ahmanson Theatre, plays through March 1. For the Record: An article in the Jan. 31 Calendar section about a Beatles Fest at the Laemmle Noho 7 theater in North Hollywood this weekend said that Thursday and Friday's programs would be introduced by Lee Perry, host of KCSI's “Saturday With the Beatles.” His name is Les Perry, and his program is on KCSN-FM (88.5)

A mixed-use project featuring a five-screen Laemmle theater in Glendale appears to be moving forward with the City Council's recent approval of a development agreement. The four-story project will include 42 apartments above 6,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground level. In a 4-1 vote in December, the City Council approved a multi-agency agreement between the city, L.A. County and the Glendale Community College District to move the Laemmle Lofts project closer to approval.

In the lobby of the historic Royal Theatre in West Los Angeles, Bob Laemmle proudly points to a wall of glass-encased photos and letters from cinema luminaries of the last half-century. "This is one of Ingmar Bergman," he says proudly, gesturing to a photo of the Swedish director, his arm around the shoulder of Bob's father, Max, taken during the 1972 premiere of "Cries and Whispers. " Next to it is a letter from the director and actor Andre Gregory, thanking Max for a party he hosted in support of the 1981 movie "My Dinner With Andre.

When "Un Coeur En Hiver" opened at the Laemmle theaters in Encino on Wednesday, it marked one of the few times that a foreign film has arrived in the San Fernando Valley on the same day that it debuted in other parts of Los Angeles. Foreign and low-budget intellectual movies--so-called "art films"--have traditionally received short shrift here. Laemmle is the only cinema north of Mulholland Drive that shows them on a regular basis.

Robert Zemeckis' feature directorial debut, a sing-a-long and a celebration of John Lennon are among the highlights of Beatles Fest this weekend at the Laemmle Noho 7 theater in North Hollywood. The mini-film festival is part of a city-wide celebration of John, Paul, George and Ringo that includes the U.S. premiere of "Backbeat," the British musical about the birth of the legendary rock group. The musical, which opened Wednesday at the Ahmanson Theatre, plays through March 1. For the Record: An article in the Jan. 31 Calendar section about a Beatles Fest at the Laemmle Noho 7 theater in North Hollywood this weekend said that Thursday and Friday's programs would be introduced by Lee Perry, host of KCSI's “Saturday With the Beatles.” His name is Les Perry, and his program is on KCSN-FM (88.5)

Re the article about moviegoing ["Stunning Locations," May 22]: For people who like to discover really good movies, the Nuart is the best theater in L.A.! Most theaters today give you the choice of a dozen movies, but are any of them really any good? At the Nuart, there's only one movie playing, but you know it's going to be special. Gary Davis West L.A. The recently opened Laemmle Theaters in Claremont are wonderful. They are in the new portion of Claremont's "Village," a fine place for walking around before or after the show.

Two of the best films of the young year opened last Friday at several Laemmle theaters, but because nobody much cared, tonight might be the last opportunity to see them on the big screen. That would be a shame especially where "Summer Palace" is concerned. An intense romantic epic, as politically provocative as it is explicitly sexual, it covers more than a dozen years of recent Chinese history. Just as powerful is "A Walk to Beautiful." Even its difficult subject matter -- women in Ethiopia who suffer from childbirth injuries -- can't keep this film from having a power over your heart that is unparalleled.

Bigger isn't necessarily better, and more really can sometimes seem like less--at least to the Laemmle family of Los Angeles, which has carved a distinguished niche for its theaters in a land of blockbuster-dependent behemoths. At a time when most companies are building bigger theaters with more screens but seem to have less and less room for small films, it's good to know that there are still people willing to buck the trend.

When "Un Coeur En Hiver" opened at the Laemmle theaters in Encino on Wednesday, it marked one of the few times that a foreign film has arrived in the San Fernando Valley on the same day that it debuted in other parts of Los Angeles. Foreign and low-budget intellectual movies--so-called "art films"--have traditionally received short shrift here. Laemmle is the only cinema north of Mulholland Drive that shows them on a regular basis.

Laemmle Theaters is currently screening all five Oscar-nominated feature-length documentaries. Four of them are being presented on Saturday and Sunday mornings at the Monica 4-Plex in Santa Monica, while "Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt" continues its long-running Sunday 11 a.m. engagement at the Music Hall in Beverly Hills.

The innovative vision of the American Cinematheque's Dennis Bartok, like Landmark's Nuart Theater, is the salvation of the few remaining cineastes left here in "movieland." Dennis does himself a gross disservice by comparing the Nuart's programming (or his own) to that of the Sunset 5's. The Laemmle theaters only continue the Miramaxification (i.e., commercialization) of both American "indie" and foreign cinemas. JESSE ENGDAHL Santa Monica

IN the article on Thomas Bezucha and his new movie, "The Family Stone" ["The Third-Time Charm," Sept. 11], his previous feature, "Big Eden," was described as "weakly reviewed and poorly attended." The movie had been enthusiastically reviewed in The Times and received generally favorable reviews. As to attendance, most independent productions and virtually all gay-themed movies have trouble getting bookings. But if memory serves, "Big Eden" had a nice run at the Laemmle theaters in L.A. and a nice run in Santa Barbara.